What made me want to be a developer

Unlike many others, I never wanted to be a developer. 😀, I suddenly found myself coding, and I'm going to tell you the story. So take a seat and unwind because...

In case you didn't know, I studied Anatomy at university before transferring to Public Health Education, where I graduated in 2019. I've also worked for the Ministry of Health and volunteered for organizations such as the World Health Organization, the Oral Polio Vaccine Campaign, the Tuberculosis Campaign, and even COVID. I had no idea there was anything like software programming. I was aware that people created websites, applications, and other software, but I never imagined that anyone could become a developer.

One beautiful morning, I was checking UNICEF's website to see if I could get into one of their internship programs because I had always wanted to work for either WHO or UNICEF. When I read the job description, it stated that you must be familiar with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I was perplexed because the majority of job positions I was aware of only required familiarity with Microsoft Office. and because I was willing to go to any length to get into this organization. So, what exactly did I do? I started looking into it.

I discovered Freecodecamp and W3schoolthanks to Google. It was so confusing and overwhelming at first that I felt I couldn't learn it. I went ahead and started asking questions about web development on Twitter, not realizing there were other stacks besides frontend because my main goal was to learn those programming languages (HTMLLL, CSS, and Javascript) so that I could get a job. I was also advised to watch some YouTube videos by Traversy, which I highly recommend. My curiosity grew stronger, and it became more interesting. Covid occurred in 2020, and I was tired of my job, so it gave me more time and I became more interested in it.

I applied to several bootcamps and continued to network on social media; I made many friends and was accepted into my first coding bootcamp Devcareer. It also included a free laptop, mentorship, a free co-working space, and a monthly data stipend. It was a fantastic experience, but not without its difficulties. Transitioning from a non-tech background to technology was difficult and overwhelming; there were times when I wanted to give up, but I persisted.

Moving forward, I learned about other web development stacks and non-technical roles such as technical writing, which I enjoy but am not always consistent with. This journey has been a rollercoaster for me, and I am grateful for how far I have come and for everyone who has assisted me along the way. It's been two years, and I've made a lot of money and established myself. I've been to a lot of tech events.

I volunteered for Coil at an event.

I participated in my first hackathon and won.

I got a full-time role after a few contract jobs and internships.

I attended more events and started learning about web3 and blockhain technology.

I was also invited to my first ever international competition in Dubai for nft gaming at Metaconglobal

Then I got the opportunity to talk about Web3 on a podcast show and Twitter space.

You can also watch the show here. Podcast

Being a developer has brought out the best in me; I am still learning and growing, as well as experimenting with new projects. I'm currently transitioning into Developer Advocacy/Relations because of my skills in communication, teaching, networking, and content creation.

I'm excited about this new adventure and can't wait to see what great things I'll accomplish. Thank you for reading my article; I promise to be more consistent and intentional about writing in the future.

Cheers